Playbooks
Mtn Empty Smash Y-post is an empty backfield dropback pass out of Y Off Trips Pats designed to attack Cover 2 shells with a classic smash concept paired with a deep post from the Y. The trips side runs the corner and flat combo to stretch the flat defender and the deep half safety vertically and horizontally, while the backside Y breaks on a post to split the middle of the field where Cover 2 is weakest. This is a man and zone beater, with the primary read starting at the corner route to see if the safety commits, then working to the Y-post if the safety bites on the flat or if the middle linebacker gets caught peeking at the trips concept.
Pre-snap, identify the safety alignment on the trips side since a two high shell tells you the corner and post are live reads Watch the corner and safety on the trips side after the snap, if they both squeeze the corner route the Y-post should be wide open behind them Key the middle linebacker or the deep third defender in Cover 3 looks, since a slow drop opens a throwing window on the post Look for a user-controlled safety sitting in the deep middle, this is the primary threat that can undercut or take away the Y-post window This play struggles against Cover 4 with disciplined safeties who stay deep and against aggressive man blitzes with no free defender to help over the post
Motion pre-snap to identify if you get man or zone leverage from the defender following across the formation
If the safety rotates to the trips side pre-snap, work the Y-post immediately since the middle of the field opens up
Use this against Cover 2 and Cover 4 shells where the corner route can pull the flat defender and safety out of position
Hot route the underneath flat route into a shallow drag if you are facing a hard blitz look with no safety help over the top
Pair this play with Mtn Empty HB Sluggo or Mtn Corners in the same set to keep defenses guessing between smash concepts and double vertical shots from the same empty look